Baby Nursery...

At one time I had planned to spotlight each room in my house as I decorated it.  But then the infertility thing happened and all my attention, free time and much of my disposable income was tied up in getting pregnant.   Decorating rooms in my newly built house just didn't seem so important anymore.  But last June, several months pregnant, we found out that we were having a little girl and suddenly I was consumed with planning the perfect nursery.  Finding out that we were having a little girl was thrilling and we were both very excited.  Just think about all the smocking and cute hair bows!  But then I got a little concerned that I might make her room too pink and green, that it would be overly estrogen filled and that would make poor Husband, literally, the odd man out.  So for much of the summer I spent my time obsessing about what kind of gender neutral shade of yellow and cream I should apply.  And this obsession sort of drove Husband crazy because he assured me that he wouldn't feel left out if I went with my instincts and made the room reflect that a little girl lived there.

 

And so I listened.

 

 

The lighting fixture was purchased at Pottery Barn Kids.  Husband installed it one afternoon with no trouble or assistance.  I had debated on whether or not to change out the fixture as the original light was in good condition... since it was less than a year old.  I'm glad that I did it as I think it adds a lot to the room.

 

 

I was super excited to find a crib that is considered "low-profile" since neither Husband or myself is very tall. I loved the simple lines of the crib and seeing how this would be a piece of furniture that most likely would be used again I didn't want to go overly ornate or frilly since we could have a son at some point. The bedding was one of two choices from Serena and Lily... Husband made the final decision and I loved the French and Indian motifs.  Finding the bedding helped me make fabric decisions.

 

 

The Indian inspired storage baskets, although rather expensive, have became a favorite of mine for their practicality.  The pink textured curtain panels were made by my grandmother.  I think they add a lot of drama to the room.  The shelving unit was a bargain buy from Target.  It is one of those build-it-yourself jobs and for what it costs, if it gets destroyed in a couple of years-- oh well.  It serves the purpose.  At some point I hope to line the back of the unit with fabric left over from my rocker.

 

 

 

Since the room already had a built in desk I decided to use this space as a changing station.  It will be several years before the baby can sit at a desk and do homework, so in the time being, I purchased a curtain from Land of Nod and had my mother hem it to the right length.  A tension rod hold it in place.  Behind the curtain is room for me to store baby items like diaper boxes and other items that I may not want to display.  The built-in cabinets store wipes and diapers from our showers and also can be a place to keep burp cloths, bibs, baby towels and all sort of baby goodness.

 

 

The teal blue chest adds a little pop of color and from the moment I saw this chest in a little store outside of Dunn, I knew I had to have it.  The blue doesn't show up in any of my fabrics, but it goes and I find the color very pleasing.  It serves as another great storage place, currently holding extra crib sheets, blankets, baby shoes and accessories.  The glider rocker was a gift from my Aunt Janet.  It came from Target and originally the cushions were an off-white microfiber.  I had a local upholster recover the cushions in a pink and white heavy weight fabric.  I think recovering the glider cushions gives the chair a custom look and really adds to the room.

Currently the baby sleeps in her bassinet and has yet to spend more than a few hours in her room since birth.  I'm hoping that once she gets a little older that she will spend many happy nights and days in this room!

 

 

Crib:  Pottery Barn Kids, Kendall Low-Profile Crib

 

Bedding, Storage Baskets, Changing Pad & Cover: Serena & Lily, Lola Bedding Collection, Basic Punch Cover

 

Glider & Ottoman:  Target

 

Lighting Fixture: Pottery Barn Kids, Olivia Mini- Chandelier

 

Shelving Unit:  Target

 

Window Panels:  my Grandma

 

Curtain Rods:  Lowes

 

Chest:  Vibra's (Dunn, NC)

 

Fabric (excepting changing station):  The Cloth Barn (Goldsboro, NC)

 

 

 

 

 



38 Weeks: Only 5 Days Left to Go...

Tuesday was the start of our 38th week of being pregnant...  and surprisingly I feel really good.  I've had little to no swelling in my feet and just on rare occasions my wedding bands become a little snug.

My blood pressure is holding steady as is my weight... things seem to be going well and more than anything, I'm relieved.  After going through months of infertility, I had sometimes thought that maybe I'm just not "meant" to be pregnant.  And then after finally getting a positive and then becoming so very sick that first trimester, I for sure thought that it was true.  But somewhere near the end of that first trimester the sickness lifted and from there out I've felt good.

Now my biggest complaint is that I'm running out of time to prepare and I'm exhausted.  My afternoons and nights are spent trying to figure out what I need to do next in some desperate attempt to try and be prepared.  Let me just tell you, it is hard to be prepared when you don't know what to prepare for.

But as of tonight... My gowns are washed along with several receiving blankets, burp cloths, blankets and some tiny little baby clothing.  They are folded neatly in a laundry basket just waiting to be put into a bag for the hospital.  The car seat, although not installed into my new car, is downstairs and ready to go.  The baby bassinet is in the bedroom.  The crib is set up, dressed and ready to go, even though it will be a few weeks before our little one lays in it.  The newborn diapers are ready to go.  The nursery, although not 100% perfect is very close to perfect and getting closer everyday.

5 days and counting...  it is so surreal to think that very soon there will be a whole new person around...  a person that we are responsible for and hopefully a person that we can teach not to be scared of clowns-- unlike the dog who is terrified of small children dressed as clowns for Halloween.

Surreal, impossible... truly a miracle and I hope and pray that things go well. 

Pottery Barn May Be My New Favorite Store...

I ordered a picture frame for the nursery from Pottery Barn.  A basic white frame with a white matte that would perfectly set off the pink graphic print I ordered from Etsy.

Today it arrived. 

Damaged.

The outside shipping box was fine, but the inside box that contained my picture frame looked as if something heavy got the upper left hand corner.  The thin cardboard box was ripped and the bubble wrap that was protecting the frame flattened.  The wooden frame was crushed...

Great.  I thought.  Now I'm going to have to return this frame and wait for a new one.  What a hassle.

So after eating my Bojangles and taking care of a few odds and ends, I pulled up the internet, just as the packing slip recommended and went to the Pottery Barn website to start the return process.

Just Great.  I thought as the little box I was supposed to check, never popped up.  So I called the 1-888 number for customer service.  Just Great!!!!

To my surprise I was promptly connected to a customer service representative.  She was kind, courteous and understanding.  I didn't even have to get ugly... I just gave her my order number and she took down my story recounting the damage.  And get this-- she just told me to discard the current frame, a new one would be sent to me in the next few days!

I don't even have to send it back to the company!  Can you believe it?

I'm in complete and utter shock!!!!  And that is why Pottery Barn may be my new favorite store.

Pottery Barn May Be My New Favorite Store...

I ordered a picture frame for the nursery from Pottery Barn.  A basic white frame with a white matte that would perfectly set off the pink graphic print I ordered from Etsy.

Today it arrived. 

Damaged.

The outside shipping box was fine, but the inside box that contained my picture frame looked as if something heavy got the upper left hand corner.  The thin cardboard box was ripped and the bubble wrap that was protecting the frame flattened.  The wooden frame was crushed...

Great.  I thought.  Now I'm going to have to return this frame and wait for a new one.  What a hassle.

So after eating my Bojangles and taking care of a few odds and ends, I pulled up the internet, just as the packing slip recommended and went to the Pottery Barn website to start the return process.

Just Great.  I thought as the little box I was supposed to check, never popped up.  So I called the 1-888 number for customer service.  Just Great!!!!

To my surprise I was promptly connected to a customer service representative.  She was kind, courteous and understanding.  I didn't even have to get ugly... I just gave her my order number and she took down my story recounting the damage.  And get this-- she just told me to discard the current frame, a new one would be sent to me in the next few days!

I don't even have to send it back to the company!  Can you believe it?

I'm in complete and utter shock!!!!  And that is why Pottery Barn may be my new favorite store.

36 Weeks and Counting...

This weeks marks our entry into the 36th week of pregnancy and with this milestone comes the realization that after this week our baby will be considered full term.  She can come anytime and that will be medically okay... crazy huh?

As we leave the 35th week, I am finding Husband in all out nesting mode and I am finding myself in some strange buying mood, purchasing all sorts of things for the nursery.  I guess we are readying ourselves in very different ways.  As I type there are woven, colorful storage baskets being shipped to the house along with baby clothes hangers, closet labels, a green and white curtain and a coral vase-- although the vase is going in the living room. 

There is also a picture frame coming for the Audrey Hepburn quote that I purchased off of Etsy... there may not be much hanging on the rest of our walls, but there will be things on our daughter's walls.

We still haven't picked a name... which I think is more alarming for our friends and family than it is for us.  In fact, in my passive aggressive way, the more others seem to worry about it, the less I tend to.  A name will be picked, but I doubt it will come to us before she does.

But all this baby preparation, specifically how much time and effort I have put into getting the nursery ready has got me thinking... why don't I spend as much time worrying about all the other rooms in our house?

To my surprise all the rooms in our house are officially filled with some sort of furniture.  By making the guest room the nursery and making the once empty spare room the new guest room, we officially have something in every room... but there is little as far as design goes. 

After the baby comes, I'm hoping that some of my attention will be back on getting our house as wonderful as I think it can be... although I know that that probably won't be as easy as it sounds.

So as Husband hangs lighting fixtures and builds high chairs and baby swings and adds more landscaping to the yard, and I burn a hole into my gold card... our baby is making herself ready.  As far as I can tell she is still breech... so how she gets here is a little questionable at the moment and what she will be called is a little questionable as well.  Regardless, I'm feeling pretty good... pretty calm... pretty relaxed... and I'm hoping that the next few weeks are more of the same.

I'd Tell You, But I Can't Remember...

Busy doesn't begin to describe it... and to top it all off, I can't remember anything.  Apparently "pregnancy brain" is a real phenomenon.  For instance, this week I decided to cook homemade chili.  So Wednesday night I put everything into the crock pot, browned hamburger meat and let it cool and then added it to the other ingredients. 

I put the pot insert into the refrigerator over night and Thursday morning I put the pot into the crock pot base, turned the dial to "low" and headed to work, not giving it another thought in the world.

I had my 34 week doctor's appointment Thursday afternoon.  I drove the new car.  Yes, after several weekends of nothing but car shopping, last Saturday we purchased a larger (see: 4 doors) car.  And while on the Beltline I noticed that the car was making a strange noisy, a noisy that miraculously disappeared (of course) once I got within a 10 mile radius of home.  So now I'm not so sure that I didn't imagine it...  as I drove it today and nothing, nada, zip as far as "the sound" goes.

Nevertheless, I walked into the house expecting to smell the wonderful sent of homemade chili, and instead I just smelled the house.  I thought that was odd.  I immediately walked over to the crock pot.  Had I forgotten to turn it on?  No.  The dial was turned to "low" just as I remembered.  Did I forget to put the pot into the base?  No.  The pot was firmly locked into the base. 

I had forgotten to plug it in...

This last appointment was an interesting one... 34 weeks pregnant and we've learned that the baby is breech.  This doesn't bother me.  But the doctor wanted to let me know that a C-section would be likely if the baby doesn't make a turn in the next couple of weeks. 

I didn't want to seem eager, but the idea of actually knowing when the baby was going to come, seemed attractive, even if the recovery is supposedly more difficult.  I told the doctor, just as I have told many others... as long as the baby can come out safely and we both live to tell about it, I'm fine with whatever.

After all, I'm just a school counselor.  Not a doctor.  To quote a favorite movie of mine, "I don't know nothing about birthing babies."

Oh, did I mention that we dropped out of birthing classes?  Yea... we did.  The third class got blown off for maternity pictures and the fourth class got ditched because Husband was barning tobacco and picking sweet potatoes and couldn't be ready to leave in time.  This last class, which I think was to be a like a "dry-run" of the birthing process (I realize that is probably not a great term to use to describe that particular class) got blown off for a bikini waxing appointment.  I forgot (imagine that) that I had booked the appointment for that particular afternoon and since Husband was still barning tobacco and picking sweet potatoes, I decided to keep the appointment and just pick up some food on the way home. 

We ate, I got a shower and I went to bed... at like 8:30pm.  I've never done that before.  I'm exhausted.

My best friend had a beautiful baby boy on her due date two weeks ago.  I'm pleased to report that she got through the labor and delivery with little to no problems.  It is reassuring that we too just might get through this...

This weekend is our first baby shower and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and spending some time with family and friends.

I think that about catches everyone up... I'm going to have to start remembering to document more because at this rate, I may forget! 

What Do You Really Want?: No to be asked what I really want...

Husband has a huge family.  His dad came from a large family and they are all still very close.  Over the years the family has gotten even bigger as, I'm convinced, they are the most fertile people to ever grace the face of this Earth.

At the last baby shower for Husband's cousin a little over a month ago, the family decided to buy one large present together, this way the the couple didn't get a bunch of things that they either A) already had and would have to return or B) didn't need and would have to return.  So they purchased a piece of furniture that the couple had registered for to put in the new baby's nursery.

Swell idea.  Thoughtful even.  But that is just how they are and that is one of the things I love about them the most... they are practical.

So today when my mother-in-law called me and wanted to know what we wanted them to get us for our baby, I was a little unprepared as to what to tell her.  It was 10am in the morning and perfectly cool in my house... yet I was just before dripping sweat at the idea of having to come up with something for them to purchase for us-- for our baby.

I swiftly directed her to our baby registries, excepting the BabyLi.st because that would have required me verbally giving an internet link over the phone and I'm positive that they wouldn't have gone over well.  Tell me the last time you gave out a long link to someone over the phone with multiple back-slashes and dashes and it didn't confuse someone.  This way the Aunts and Uncles can figure out what big ticket item they'd like for us to have instead of me having to demand it.

Sure I love, love, love the woven storage baskets at Serena and Lily that match our baby bedding.  But they are almost $300 dollars and even though they may or may not want to spend that much, I would never ask for them to purchase them in a million years because it should be their choice, not mine... and for baskets, that is expensive... they are pretty, but they are expensive.  And being practical people, I doubt spending any kind of cash on that sort of item would not be a good thing in their mind or many others for that matter.

I'll be the first to admit, my communication skills are bad.  I'm one of thoes people that would rather give the gift than receive the gift, I'd rather not be the center of attention, and for the most part, I like to do things myself.  That being said, I think it is so touching when someone wants to do something nice for me or Husband or now, the baby.  It blows me away that people would even think to offer such and that kind of love and support means so much to me, it is hard to write down exactly how much it means.

Am I the only person that feels this way? 

Baby Registries for the Anti-Social...

I've started creating baby registries.  I spent most of Tuesday night in a panic because it seemed almost every other pregnant person I knew has already created theirs. 
Let me preface this by saying I'm not a joiner.  It appears that the the husband is not a joiner either.  But a couple of weeks ago, against my nature, I joined www.thebump.com and ever since I've been regretting it.  Majorly.

The problem... they have this checklist and baby due date timeline (plus a lot of articles about post-partum crotch care that really freak me out).  Apparently we are well past the half-way mark.  Yikes.  And according to the checklist, I'm way behind.  I hate www.thebump.com.

According to www.thebump.com I should have already found a pediatrician and I should have already created registries.  I do have a pediatrician in mind, but I've not committed to anything yet.  Apparently you have the option of participating in orientation style classes at the pediatrician's office and I'd rather not.  I feel the same way about birthing classes. 

My birth plan:  get the baby out of me as safely as possible, with the least amount of damage possible, while I feel the least amount of pain possible and we all live to tell about it.  It is a good plan.

And yes, I'm open to all sorts of drugs.  Gas me in the parking lot if you have to.

But because the Husband and I have these personality defects that keep us from wanting to socialize with our peer group or any other group for that matter, I could not see myself walking around the local Toy's R Us with a registry gun picking out things that we think we might need for Little No Name while strangers come up and touch my every growing belly and congratulate us.

So I'm doing it online and surprisingly I'm loving it!  Although this registry process I think is turning me into some sort of communist or at the very least a socialist.  After researching strollers and play yards and 3-in-1 high chairs, baby swings, and baby gyms I think there should only be one choice and that's it. 

Why do they offer 14 different types of baby bottles?  Why is there 19 different types of diaper rash creams?  Why are there 5 pages or more of baby bathtubs on Target.com?

Nevertheless, I finally decided to do a registry at Target and Babies R Us (even though Target has a horrible return policy and the closest Babies R Us is about an hour away and most people just buy the baby what they want the baby to have, rendering the whole baby registry thing a little unnecessary) and www.babyli.st which allows you to add items from any website regardless of whether or not the store has a registry database (like Etsy or Serena & Lily).  I also like that if I happen to stumble upon something I'd like for Little No Name all I have to do is press a button on our toolbar and BAM! it's added.  So easy and I love it!  We even have our own web address so our friends and family can access it... http://babyli.st/loren-and-emilys-baby-list

I'm still working on them... but at least I'm not dragging Husband all over creation trying to figure out what we need.  This way, at home and on line, I can read what other people think about the items... people that have actually had children before and know what is good and what is a complete waste of time and money, all while in my pj's!

Week 24 Update:  The baby is doing great according to the doctors.  We had our monthly doctor's appointment on Wednesday.  Little No Name's got a strong heartbeat--160 beats per minute.  Right now I'm hoping that I haven't failed the Glucose Challenge test... because that would mean chugging more sugary drinks and getting stuck with needles for blood draws every hour on the hour for 3 hours and then possibly diabetes.  No thank you! 

She moves around a lot.  I seem to notice it more when I get still, which I'm told is normal.  According to What to Expect she weighs about a 1 1/2 pounds and is about as long as a standard letter.  I think that that must be an average.  Husband and I are short people, so I wouldn't be surprised if she not quite that long.

Baby, Baby, Baby: 22 Week Update...

Meet the baby... Isn't she cute? 

I've been really loving the whole pregnancy thing recently, minus the increased sense of smell.  The cantaloupe Husband brought home is currently stinking up the entire refrigerator... I don't see how anyone eats something that smells so bad!

Regardless, being pregnant recently hasn't been bad at all.  The baby is moving a lot, especially late at night.  And sometimes I can feel her bumping around in there on the outside, which is good because finally Husband can get in on the action... that is, when she cooperates.  According to the baby books and, of course, the Internet the baby can recognize light and dark and can even hear sounds... pretty cool huh?

This week I experienced my first irrational meltdown that I'm positive was hormone fueled.  Of all things, a conversation with my mother about baby bedding was the culprit that left me crying, off and on, for a good hour.  Baby bedding!  Husband thought it was the funniest thing ever... he'd mention bedding and I'd break down and in between wiping tears and sucking snot, I'd say, "I don't know what is wrong with me... I know I sound crazy!" and he'd just laugh-- at me.

But luckily that meltdown did help me make up my mind (a mind that has been anything but easy to make up recently) and I think I'm a little closer to committing to a bedding set.  I've decided to quit fighting my instincts and just go with where the pink and green leads me.

Now, if I could just find a maternity bathing suit that doesn't look like a car cover, I'd be in business!

Nursery 101...

So I'm ready to start tackling the baby's nursery.  For months now, that has been the last thing on my mind... and I was starting to worry that I'd never find the want or the motivation.  A few weeks ago, I felt like something was majorly wrong with me because my mother-in-law had picked out fabric and was talking about painting her crib for her house. Listening to her plans that she was making for my baby, well-- it made me want to turn inside out... just one more area that I'm defective in--parenting!  I knew I needed to get a crib and I knew that she would need certain items, but for the most part, I've been less than interested in turning the guest bedroom into a baby nursery.

I think this "lack of motivation" is a common problem with women who have undergone fertility treatments.  For months and years you start to think that you aren't meant to have babies and because of the nature of each cycle, you get your hopes up only to have them taken away-- and you have no physical way of controlling it... which is so frustrating.  So I think it is only natural that one's thought process tends to lean towards the idea of, "good things will be taken away from me" which creates a self-protecting mental construct:  Don't get too excited about this good thing because it may get taken away from you!

But I'm pressing forward and I'm finding myself increasingly interested in creating a nursery for the baby.  Here's what I do know:

1) I do not want to paint the nursery room.  Our house is brand new and the paint color in that room is neutral.  I was talking with my contractor over the holiday and he suggested keeping the color as is and when the baby is older and the house is older, painting then as she goes from baby to toddler.

2) I have a built-in desk in the nursery room that I would like to use as either a changing table or an organizational area for assorted baby items.

3) I want the nursery to have an elcetic feel that does not neccessarily scream: BABY'S ROOM! when you walk the door... meaning, I want a collection of new and antique furniture and I plan to use broad range of colors, rather than design around a certain theme.

Knowing these three important factors, I also would like to steer clear of overly-girlie decorations.  But that is easier said than done, as I am naturally attracted to pinks and greens and frilly, girlie things.

I think the first step is to decide on a color palette that I really like, that the Husband can tolerate, and go from there.  I think if we were having a boy, I'd try really hard to put my influence into the room to keep it from being overly masculine.  Therefore, I think it is important to put some gender-neutral influences into the room so Husband is not completely left out.  Ideally, I'd like to take some of our interests and early influences and put these into the room. 

I really like the idea of putting wedding pictures in the room, maybe even a maternity session-- if we get around to that.  I have seen some really cool, and cheap, art installations that I'd also like to incoportate with sewing hoops, fabric and cheap picture frames.  I'd include pictures, but I'd like to avoid getting lost in Google Images and online bulletin boards... I did that most of last night.

But at least I've got a start...  and that is so much better than nothing.

Adventures in Maternity Clothing...

My sister suggested that I buy a Belly Band because her friend really liked using one when she was pregnant.  And of course I was really not excited about wearing a stretchy waist band around my midsection when I was basically flat stomached for the first 13 weeks or so.  I had it in my mind that a belly band would be 1) uncomfortable, 2) hot, 3) restrictive... and I could go on.

But when I realized that finding maternity shorts that didn't look like camp counselor shorts was going to be next to impossible, the idea of wearing a belly band as a method to hold up my regular skinny girl shorts wasn't such a bad idea. I bit the bullet this past Saturday as the temperature and the humidity quickly rose above 105 degrees.

The majority of maternity shorts come in three exciting camp counselor colors:  khaki, black, and white.  Many of them are cargo in nature.  Apparently, not just cute, trendy, sophistocated little girls like me get pregnant, but so do out-dated, frumpy, utility workers as well... utility workers that would want camp counselor shorts.
There are some maternity shorts that come in fun colors-- but many of those are colored jean shorts, colored jean shorts with cuffed bottoms... and I don't wear cuffs or jean shorts.

So the belly band is holding up my shorts for me... my unbuttoned and sometimes unzipped shorts and suprisingly I'm loving it.  Being able to wear my normal clothing makes me very happy.

On the opposite end of the dressing field-- my upper half---I really like the maternity tee shirts.  They have this handy little gathered side that seems add a little interest to a plain tee-shirt and emphasize the ever-present, ever-growing baby bump in a nice way.

So to wrap-up, I would recommend a belly band, especially if you find yourself pregnant during the hottest part of summer and the only alternative is camp counselor shorts and you aren't down with the khaki, white and/or black color choices... and really want to wear your normal clothing.

Maternity Clothing...

Last Thursday night as I was preparing myself for bed, excited that Friday would be the last day of school for all the little school children, panic struck.

My last pair of jeans that still fit were in the dirty clothes hamper-- the hamper I intended to empty and wash and didn't.  I've been in the middle of moving my office, and wearing jeans on Friday-- the only day of the week that we can legally wear jeans-- seemed practical. 

So Thursday night, I tried on a pair of jeans that I thought might still fit.  They didn't-- unless I used a rubber band to loop through the button hole to keep them from gapping open.  I then tried on a few dresses.  They still fit and looked good-- but moving my office in a dress didn't seem like a good idea and I'd have to shave my legs.

So I dug down into the depths of the dirty clothes hamper and liberated the magical jeans that seem to always fit, no matter how big my belly gets.  I had no choice.  And I reckoned myself to the idea that it was probably time to go face my fear:  Maternity Clothes Shopping.

Because it was the last day of school, my principal let us out a little early.  So at 3:00pm Friday afternoon, my mother and I headed off to the shopping mall to find me some pants that fit my expanding waist... and maybe a dress because next weekend I'm directing a wedding and I'd like, very much, to not look frumpy.

The maternity store is much different than the stores I normally shop.  The stores I used to shop-- Before Baby Bump (BBB)-- were always nice to me and would always ask if I needed help or if I wanted to get a fitting room started.  But because I shopped there often, most of the time I didn't need help because I knew my size and what I liked and most importantly, I knew what looked good on me.

But at the maternity clothing store, the sales associates where interested in much, much more.  "When's your due date?"  "Is this your first time being pregnant?"  "What are you interested in purchasing today?"  "Let me explain to you how our sizing works."  And that was upon entering the store. 

Generally I like to get the layout of the store first... especially a store I've never been in before.  Then I like to make my first pass, making note of things I like-- things that strike me-- and then on my second pass I start to make my selections for either purchasing or trying on.  I like to have time on my own to think things out without much interuption. 

Before I knew what was going on, I was in the dressing room and feeling like a werido because all of the pants have this strange stretchy top and no buttons and no zippers-- none of the markings of real jeans or shorts or pants.

I used to joke about elastic waisted pants-- how silly they were-- and now that is basically all I have as choices... at least for the next little while.

I also have never been so attended while in a dressing room-- not even when I was picking out wedding dresses.  It seemed like every few seconds some sales girl was asking me if they could get me more sizes-- which was a joke, because everything was too big--even the smallest size.  They wanted to know how things were fitting... if it was too big or too small.  They wanted to reassure me that I looked good, even if I didn't.  I don't like being patronized...

So I came away with two rather attractive tops... a pair of Seven Maternity jeans and a pair of black maternity pants.  I'm not excited about wearing the stretchy top pants-- especially this summer-- but at least the tops are nice looking and stylish.

Now that I have my barings, I think I might be able to tackle shopping in the maternity department a little more often or even from the privacy of my home, thanks to the internet.  I'm still not out of my magical jeans, but when the time comes, at least I'm sort of prepared.

EWT

Snowed-In Snow Den...

The view from my home office slash guest bedroom is rather wintery looking... Isn't it?  For the second time in a few weeks it has snowed once again-- which is rare in this part of the world. 

Actually it snowed a little bit and then came the freezing rain, which just cripples everyone and everything.  Channel 5 news spent the entire morning showing clips of 18 wheelers jack-knifing on overpasses.

Yesterday the school children had a two hour school day... and since 1:30pm yesterday afternoon I've not set foot outside.

I'm not big on being cold... or wet... and especially not cold and wet at the same time.  But I'm being as productive as one can be in this sort of situation or as Steven Cobert so rightly said, "the weather of Northern Aggression."

So far I've ordered underwear to clear out the credit my Victoria Secrets credit card had on it from before Christmas.  I've done a load of laundry and I'm seriously thinking of starting another load.  I made coffee and at this very moment I'm soaking dishes from the night before.  The Red Baron Mini Pizza I've made myself for lunch is cooling on the stove and after I eat that pizza, I'm going to start working on ideas for my sisters wedding.

I've also did some actual work-work.  Just moments ago I started to try to reschedule a meeting that was cancelled yesterday due to our two hour school day... and I copied my principal in on the emails so he'd know just how dedicated I am to my craft.

Who says you can't brown-nose from your snowed-in, snow-den? 

My sister's birthday is rapidly approaching so I'm even looking on-line for possible gift ideas as well.  I'm so content right now sitting in my pj's doing exactly what I want to do.

Let's hope this afternoon is just as productive.